Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for making elastic knit fabric that looks and performs like a woven fabric, with soft hand, good drape, high holding force and recovery power in all directions. More specifically, this invention relates to the stretch knit fabrics comprising a jersey loop base intermeshed with a set of extra surface effect yarns. This invention also relates to such knit fabrics and the garments made from such fabrics.
Summary of Related Art
Circular knit fabrics are used to make underwear and top-weight garments, such as T-shirts. Compared to woven structures, the knit fabric can more easily deform, or stretch, by compressing or elongating the individual knit stitches (comprised of interconnected loops) that form the knit fabric. This ability to stretch in all directions by stitch rearrangement adds to the wearing comfort of garments made from knit fabrics. Even when knit fabrics are constructed of 100% hard yarns, such as cotton, polyester, nylon, acrylics or wool, for example, there is some recovery of the knit stitches to original dimensions after imposed forces are removed. However, this recovery by knit stitch rearrangement generally is not complete because hard yarns, which are not elastic yarn, do not provide a recovery force to rearrange the knit stitches.
To improve the recovery performance of circular knit fabrics, it is now common to co-knit a small amount of spandex fiber with the companion hard yarn. The spandex makes the fabric with higher stretch level and better recovery power. Fabric and garment manufacturers generally know how to make fabrics with the right quality parameters to achieve fabrics acceptable to consumers. However, for stretch circular knit fabric, a typical quality issue is that the fabric can't quickly recovery to original size and shape after fabrics are over stretched out in some parts of the body, particularly in bottom of the body, such as in knee, butt and waist. Consumers see baggy and saggy issues after long time wear, which limits the penetration of circular knits in bottom weights, such as pants and denims.
As a general rule, woven fabrics have very different qualities from knitted fabrics. Woven fabrics such as denim, gabardine, poplin, and others tend to be stable, and have better shape retention, less flexible and less soft, and only have stretch in the direction that elastic yarns are added. The manufacture process of making woven is normally more complicated and costly. Before weaving, it is necessary to make core spun yarn or covered first by combining elastic yarn and hard yarn together.